DS has had money stolen. What, if anything, can we do?

[clam]

I gave him a tenner yesterday to cover lunches for the next few days. The school has a SMART card system so kids don't have to have money on them (as long as no-one nicks it before they've managed to get to Student Services to credit their account!), but DS says that the outstanding balances on his are always wrong so he never knows how much credit he's got left, so he stopped using it and has been using cash instead. Big mistake. When he got back to the changing room after PE yesterday, his wallet had been unzipped and the note was gone. I know that this is impossible to police, and that kids have been warned to be careful with possessions etc... so I suppose we'll have to just shrug it off (and insist he goes back to the SMART card) but is there anything we can expect the school to do about it? I've written a note to his form tutor, bringing it to her attention.

It would be impossible for the school to police this, and I dare say that kids (and parents) would probably be up in arms if they thought members of staff were going through the kids coats. I can imagine the outcry on MN.

We awarn the kids not to bring large sums of cash/ valuables like MP3 players etc into school, they ignore us and stuff gets nicked. nasty, but a fact of life I'm afraid.

If the school has CCTV it might be worth seeing if the area his coat in was covered and if there is anything on the tape.

Other than that, he needs to take more care, as there are some dodgy peple out there

Counted at least a dozen ipod wires protruding from kids' blazers on the school run this morning. They're supposed to be banned, along with phones. Lucky DS's phone (also in blazer pocket!) seems to have not been worth nicking!

One thing I would always be alert to with missing money, is that your child is not being bullied and having the money taken off him by force!

Otherwise - the cash card is there for a reason, to avoid this kind of situation. The balances are highly unlikely to be wrong - the same software is used in work canteens across the land and people would be up in arms if they didn't work.

I suspect that he just doesn't remember how much he has spent.

Worth telling the form tutor though, since s/he can remind the little beggers not to do this, and that there are thieves* in school! Sad but true

my son lost money too,had several pencil cases nicked and someone left skanky school trousers and took hisin the end i did fone school and threaten to fone the police if things continued to get stolen ...it did stop but recently 2 teachers have had a coat and a handbg stolen...nowadays my son is wiser he hides any valuables at p.e generally in a big pair of old footy socks in the bottom of his school bag he can conceal his mobile and his wallet theyre a really old pair so not worth nicking.

I'd mention it to the school because I think they need to be aware of it, but I don't think there is anything they can/will do. I give DD1 £10 lunch money each week but try to give her it in £1 coins so that she doesn't have £10 with her at any one time.

DD2s school (for 9 to 13 year olds)recently did bag searches because there had been a couple of items stolen. No out cry from parents! The children were present when the searches were done though - and knew the reason why.

Actually, that crossed my mind after I dropped him off this morning, soapbox. That it probably is more likely that he's lost track of the credit, or is looking at the wrong day's receipt or something. I really don't think he's being bullied or anything - he's chirpy and happy at school and this is the first time anything like this has happened (Y7). My antennae will be waving from now on, however, thanks.

At our school we always warn students not to have valuables with them, and in PE the teacher has a lockable cashbox to put any valuables in for the duration of the lesson.

It's not pleasant, but it is very much a fact of life in secondary schools. As staff we try and avoid bringing valuables in, and always keep a close eye on bags etc, and lock rooms when not in use.

Yesterday I put a £5 note on my tray whilst I collected my lunch, and a couple of lads next to me pointed out that they could quite easily have slipped it in their pockets whilst I was helping myself to the salad bar.

I didn't know whether to be pleased that they hadn't, or shocked that they thought it appropriate to tell me they'd considered it

Oh, I know he shouldn't have had that amount of money on him, and I should have checked out the SMART card system more thoroughly, but I took my eye off the ball so we've both learnt a valuable lesson. Haven't made any sort of fuss about it in my note to his form tutor - just advised her of the situation for her info, really. And there is a box for valuables during PE, but I think DS assumed that was for jewellery, not wallets. Twit!